Harare — Harare Gardens was from the very beginning of "Salisbury Township" intended to the future city's green lung.

The huge park to the north-west of the city centre, while big, is still only a remnant of the original swathe of land.

The first town planner, Tom Ross, originally designated all land between First Street and Mbuya Nehanda Street as "The Gardens", simply because it was a swamp that no one was daring enough to build on.

It was, of course, soon found that this was not so.

Fifteen years of hard work was started on digging and then covering a deep ditch to drain the vlei, which is still there but covered by the eastern carriageway of Julius Nyerere Way and whose path defines the slightly odd alignment of that major street.

But the land to the north of the ditch and Samora Machel Avenue remained as The Gardens, although nothing was done for a few years except to chop another strip off, west of Second Street, which the Sanitary Board sold to residents against the wishes of the British South Africa Company which reckoned it actually owned that land.

But in 1898 Joshua Billing was appointed Park Curator

Having worked in the Johannesburg Park he was pretty familiar with the climate and had plenty of energy and ideas.

He soon drained the southern part of the gardens, where the Monomatapa now stands, and drilled a borehole in the northern part to provide irrigation there.

His first 2 hectares impressed that keen gardener, the Earl Grey, who was cleaning up the mess left by Dr Leander Starr Jameson after his invasion of Transvaal.

As Administrator, Grey had powers and assigned gangs of convicts to Billing so The Gardens were developed swiftly.

Many of those giant trees that provide so much welcome shade were planted then, roughly 110 years ago.

Billing and his successors kept up the work. Paths were laid out, a bandstand was put in, ponds were created, the first being dug for the coronation of George VI in 1936, and a model of the Victoria Falls was built in the north-east corner.

While the south end of the Gardens was nibbled away, with a car park now partially occupied by a hotel, and the National Gallery. The north end saw some further nibbling with a tea room and the Bowling Club, The Gardens largely survived.

A Children's Playground was among the earliest additions, in the north-west corner, with an aviary and an enclosure for rabbits.

The south end of the Gardens, next to the Gallery, was redesigned as a children's park with little streams and bridges and the whole was lit up every Christmas.

After Independence there were some changes. The south end of the gardens evolved into a cultural ground, used by Theatre in the Park, the book festival and the Harare International Festival of the Arts.

Large water gardens were created in the central area.

And then came the bad years of 2000 to 2009.

A walk through the gardens used to be a pleasant experience as people enjoyed the spectacular scenery of various flowers from the lilies to the aloes and fuchsias as well as many other species of flora that nature lovers would never want to miss.

With gracious greens that provided a secure resting place, tranquil trees and hidden hermitages that provided paradise to lovers, the Harare Gardens were an epitome of mother nature's gracefulness.

Not so much of a concrete jungle where the lights play a vital role, the Harare Gardens as they are aptly called, gave a sense of naturalness and fresh air that blew over the skies.

The gardens used to be full of life with well-maintained tarred paths and attractive flowerbeds that gave the spark to what became to be known as the Sunshine City.

Now, after a decade of lack of maintenance, much of the Gardens has become a haven for vagrants and street children.

Everything that made the Harare Gardens a draw card for those who wanted to relax and have an afternoon siesta is no longer there.

Indeed, the gardens were once popular with tourists and a sought-after venue for wedding pictures before it became a place for live music shows and a haven for muggers and women of easy virtue.

For the daring ones, they now use the gardens as a "short cut creating numerous dirt paths cutting across lawns and flower beds.

Others, with time to spare, wander over the flowerbeds or sit on the rocks within them, much to the chagrin of the garden staff, totally oblivious of the damage they care causing."

To date, the gardens have become the ceremonial home of musical shows and festivals including the Harare International Festival of the Arts and Book Fairs.

However, the place seems to gain its glow during HIFA week as the organisers invest quite a bit of money to resuscitate what's left of the gardens.

The Crowne Plaza Monomotapa, which overlooks the gardens, has tried to revive the gardens at the south end.

According to Malcolm Leppard, who taught landscape planning and allied subjects at Harare Polytechnic, the Harare Gardens was designed primarily for amenity and recreation that targeted not only a small sector of the population, but in general an appreciative one, knowledgeable of the rules, required behaviour and respect for public property.

"Residents and tourists specifically visited the garden to enjoy the Victoria Falls feature, wonder along flower decked paths, down the crescent pergola, through the sunken garden to see the gold fish and water lilies (since gone).

"Perhaps to enjoy lunch or tea at the restaurant (Sherrols in the Park), whilst at weekends the bandstand came to life, featuring local bands . . .Not only did the gardens provide a pleasurable, peaceful, clean environment, but it was safe to walk through at all hours of the day or night," Malcolm said.

He further suggests that the "general excuse that funding is not available does not wash" because the council "needs in the first instance to acknowledge that the degree of dilapidation has arisen as a result of years of poor management."

The Harare Gardens are divided into sections -- there is the Victoria Falls feature, the pergola, the garden for the blind which was added at Independence as was a whale shaped pool, an open-air theatre and sculpture garden.

When the Saturday Lifestyle visited the Harare Gardens this week, the gardens were tatty and filthy.

There were a couple of guys who were playing soccer just next to where Rooftop Promotions stage their theatre performances.

"We come from different parts of Harare to do our practice here everyday. Some of us do car washing just opposite the National Gallery while others are touts who man cars along Julius Nyerere Way," said Tapfuma Garwe, one of the guys.

What was even more appalling was that the guys seem not to bother about the stench from the ablution block that hovered over the place.

Passers by, vendors, street children and other people use the toilets.

It is the ablution block that has turned the Harare Gardens into an unpleasant venue for people to enjoy themselves.

"The place is peaceful and we love it here," said a young couple from Mabvuku that was seated near the entrance from the Crown Plaza Monomotapa.

Joseph and Mary Mutero are married and they "come to the park to enjoy a breath of fresh air.

There is less noise here and the place is accessible since it is within the city centre."

There are heaps of uncollected garbage while water and sewage is flowing along the paths.

Some of the old trees need to be trimmed or cut to avoid hazards.

However there were signs that the council is beginning to repair some of the damaged benches that are dotted along the footpaths.

The garden staff has also started mowing the glass as well as planting some new flowers.

Another public garden that is now in a state of dilapidation is the Greenwood Park.

Like the Harare Gardens, the Greenwood Park which was once a "fantasy land" for children from different walks of the town, is nothing more than a place to keep a few trees, fenced off from the public.

The park, where children under the watchful eye of their parents would hop from one swing to the other, has some of its swings and boats worn out.

But the place needs an urgent overhaul of the train, swings, the boats as well as the merry-go-round.

Despite the fact that people actually pay for the services, it is likely that not enough money is being reinvested into the park.